Warriors of the Storm: Sunrise
by Running From Destiny
Summary: Tension is rising between ThunderClan and WindClan. When a friend of Sootkit gets murdered in a battle, she vows to get revenge. Nightkit can only watch his sister grow darker. Featherkit finds herself alone as nightmares plague her sleep...
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Summary**- Wavesplash has given birth to Crowtalon's three kits. There's Nightkit, the oldest and the only tom. He's the leader, the realist and the protecter of his two sisters. Sootkit is the middle kit. She's the pawful, the one who will give her mentor a hard time when the time comes. It seems the little gray furball can never stay completely still. Finally there's Featherkit, the youngest. A word is rarely uttered from her mouth toward anyone but her siblings.

Tension is beginning to rise between WindClan and ThunderClan, threatening to grow into war. Nightkit and his sisters are forced to listen to battle after battle. Alliances shift yet again, as ThunderClan find themselves joining forces with the dark ShadowClan to battle the rising threat. The three siblings only find comfort in each other as they watch more cats fall injured and fall dead. When a close friend of Sootkit turns up dead in one of the battles, she vows to avenge his death. Nightkit can only watch as his sister grows darker every day, seeing her practice her fighting every day until their apprenticeship. No one takes notice of Featherkit, who finds herself distancing from her siblings as nightmares plague her sleep. This story is only the beginning of the kits' adventure, an adventure that could either bring peace back to the lake, or destroy the harmony of the Clans forever.

**This chapter contains both the Allegiances and the Prologue. For now the only Allegiances I'll show are the TC one. Look out for an updated Allegiances chapter later on in the story. This takes place many, many seasons after Po3, with no cats from that series around. **

**Disclaimer- I do not, and sadly will not ever, own Warriors.**

Allegiances

ThunderClan

**Leader: **Heronstar- blue gray she-cat with ice blue eyes

**Deputy: **Mouseclaw- dusky brown tom with amber eyes

**Medicine Cat: **Flamesinge- dark ginger tabby tom with green eyes  
_Apprentice, Tinypaw_

**Warriors:**

Mintstream- small white she-cat with blue eyes  
Hawkwing- dark tabby tom with green eyes  
_Apprentice, Talonpaw_  
Raventail- black tom  
Crowtalon- large dark gray, nearly black tom with green eyes  
_Apprentice, Poppypaw_  
Redsplash- white she-cat with ginger patches  
Quailfeather- tortoiseshell she-cat  
Dustcloud- tan-colored tom with amber eyes  
_Apprentice, Yewpaw_  
Lakemist- silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
Maplebranch- golden brown tabby she-cat with green eyes  
_Apprentice, Rosepaw_  
Rainfall- dark gray tom with navy blue eyes  
_Apprentice, Grasspaw_  
Cinderleaf- small gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
Mistpetal- white she-cat with gray patches and stripes; amber eyes  
Lionclaw- golden brown tom with green eyes  
_Apprentice, Bramblepaw_  
Robinflight- ginger she-cat  
Volefur- small brown tom

**Apprentices: **

Tinypaw- dainty white she-cat  
Talonpaw- handsome brown tabby tom  
Poppypaw- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with yellow eyes  
Yewpaw- longhaired gray tom with amber eyes  
Grasspaw- small brown tabby tom  
Rosepaw- pretty ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes  
Bramblepaw- cream-colored tom with blue eyes

**Queens:**

Wavesplash- white she-cat with bright blue eyes  
_Mother of Crowtalon's kits Nightkit, Sootkit and Featherkit_

Skycloud- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes  
_Mother of Hawkwing's kits Dawnkit and Duskkit_

Brightwing- white she-cat with ginger patches  
_Mother of Rainfall's unborn kits_

**Kits: **

Nightkit- black tom with yellow eyes  
Sootkit- white she-cat with gray patches; ice blue eyes  
Featherkit- small white she-cat with emerald green eyes  
Dawnkit- pale ginger she-cat  
Duskkit- dark brown tom with amber eyes

**Elders:**

Darkstream- dark brown she-cat with green eyes  
Silversight- white tom with clouded silver eyes

Prologue

"Congratulations, Wavesplash! You have three healthy and beautiful kits."

Wavesplash purred, laying her head on her paws. The sound of her kits' mewls and purrs echoed in her ears, the scent of milk wafting around her. She was well aware of the sound of Redsplash's two kits, mewing out their curiousities as they stared at the newcomers. A smile emerged on her face as she heard Bramblekit squealing the loudest. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the small cream-colored kit padding cautiously toward her. She took notice of Flamesinge, however, who was watching the kit closely.

Wavesplash turned toward the kit, nodding to signal him to come forward. Bramblekit grinned, moving at a much quicker pace now. He paused only momentarily, glancing behind him at his younger sister, Rosekit. Wavesplash noticed the small ginger tabby kit staring at her with wide, shy green eyes. Wavesplash offered her a smile, and it was returned nervously. With much more careful and slow steps the ginger kitten joined her brother to gaze at the newcomers.

The largest and oldest kit had jet-black fur. He was the only tom, and was a bit bigger then his two sisters. Next to him lay the middle kit. Gray patches were visible across her white fur, as if someone had splashed her with soot. The little kit raised one shaking paw and batted her brother, her head moving about and trying to pick up any sounds. Like her brother and sister, her eyes were sealed shut. Finally, the last kit was practically a carbon copy of her mother. Her silky white fur shared the color of the snow. A few soft whimpers escaped the tiny kit's throat, showing her terror at being out in this new and strange world.

Bramblekit stared down at the kits, eyes wide with wonder. "Will they be my friends?" he asked Wavesplash, blue orbs staring into her own blue eyes hopefully. "I've been lonely since Grasspaw left the Nursery."

Wavesplash purred and nodded. "Of course they will, Bramblekit. But not until they're older. Right now they're too young to play."

Though he was clearly disappointed about the age factor, a smile appeared on Bramblekit's face at the thought of new friends. Rosekit remained silent, staring down at the kits and looking them each over. She hadn't yet mewed a word. Bramblekit looked at her sister, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Something wrong, Rosekit?"

Rosekit shook her head and, after nodding in congratulations to Wavesplash, returned to her mother's side. Redsplash smiled apologetically before licking Rosekit on her forehead. Flamesinge had long since left, and now Wavesplash was waiting patiently for Crowtalon to return from his patrol. Bramblekit ran back to his sister and mother, still smiling as he laid down beside them. It wasn't long before Crowtalon's large head appeared in the Nursery. Upon seeing Wavesplash the dark gray tom charged inside, covering his mate with licks immediately.

"You've kitted!" he mewed. Wavesplash rolled her eyes and nodded, still smiling at the sight of her mate. Crowtalon's eyes had moved to the three kits at his mate's belly.

"They're beautiful," he murmured, his tail moving over each one. "Have you thought of names yet?"

Wavesplash shook her head. "I wanted to wait for you."

Crowtalon nodded, eyes moving immediately to the large black kit. He stared at him for a moment before mewing, "I like Nightkit for the black tom."

Wavesplash nodded with approval. "And I was thinking Sootkit for the white and gray she-cat," she mewed quickly. Both their eyes moved to the white she-cat, who was still mewling softly as if frightened. She was small, delicate and fragile. Her fur looked as fluffy as a newborn chick's downy feathers. An idea suddenly emerged in Wavesplash's mind.

"What about Featherkit, for the white she-cat?" Her mew was soft, eyes not moving from the small white kitten. Crowtalon looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding.

"Perfect. Nightkit, Sootkit and Featherkit."

Wavesplash purred before laying her head down, exhausted. Her bright blue eyes closed, and it wasn't long before she had fallen asleep. Crowtalon stood at the Nursery entrance for a moment, admiring his family once more before exiting the now silent den.

None of them could know of the dark future haunting those three kits.

**Well, the Prologue was... boring. Sorry about that. It was short too, I guess. Well, next chapter will be up soon. It will be in Sootkit's POV.**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:  
_Preparing to Drift Apart_

Bright, icy blue eyes stared out of the Nursery, staring at the bustling camp. They swept across every cat, not stopping until they landed on a larger, cream colored tom. Sootkit grinned, stepping out of the shadows. Making sure the tom couldn't see her, the tiny gray and white kit crouched low to the ground. It took a great amount of effort to keep from laughing out loud, watching as the tom licked one paw then drew it over his ear. He was so unexpecting. This plan was perfect.

Sootkit moved closer to the shadows, not wanting the white part of her pelt to catch the tom's eye. It was Sunhigh, after all, when the sun was at its highest point. During that time the white layer of her pelt lit up like a flare. It was no better then having a ginger pelt in Leafbare. Yet with all the camp bursting with activity, she doubted that any sound would catch the tom's attention. Sootkit's paws moved rather clumsily over the ground, causing the occasional stagger or mis-step.

In a matter of moments she found herself behind the cream tom. She grinned again, preparing to spring. After making sure her claws were sheathed, Sootkit yowled and lunged for the tom. The cream colored tom whirled around, ice blue eyes wide. It was too late, though, and he found himself pinned beneath Sootkit. Sootkit purred loudly, placing one paw on the tom's neck in a mock-threatening pose. The cream-colored tom, however, didn't appear amused.

"Sootkit!" He glared up at her, shoving her off gently. Sootkit landed a mouse-length away, getting to her paws an instant after she hit the ground. She lashed her tail playfully, preparing to lunge again. The cream colored tom's hiss cut her off, and she straightened her posture. Sootkit narrowed her ice blue eyes.

"What's with you, Bramblekit?" she mewed. A smirk appeared on her face. "Are you just mad 'cause I pinned you? You never could stand it when I won."

Bramblekit got back to his paws, licking his ruffled fur to smooth it down. "No, I'm mad because now my fur is all dusty. My apprentice ceremony is in a few minutes, Sootkit! Redsplash will murder me when she sees my pelt."

Sootkit gazed at her paws, crestfallen. She had almost forgotten. Oh how she wished she had. Bramblekit and his sister, Rosekit, were becoming apprentices that day. That would leave Sootkit, Nightkit and Featherkit as the oldest kits in the Nursery. They were still only three moons old, though, and would have a long wait before joining their friends in the apprentice den.

"Oh and by the way." Sootkit's ears pricked, glancing up at Bramblekit again. "You didn't beat me." She tilted her head, confused. It took Bramblekit lunging at her to make her realize what had happened. Within a matter of moments Sootkit found herself pinned beneath the larger Bramblekit. She glared playfully up at him, swiping at him with a sheathed paw.

Bramblekit managed to avoid being hit by Sootkit's paw. Sootkit grinned, for her plan was working. Since Bramblekit was distracted, Sootkit took the opportunity to kick at her friend with her hindpaws. Bramblekit, surprised, flew off her with a great deal of speed. Grinning Sootkit got to her paws, preparing to lunge again until a furious yowl split the air.

"Bramblekit!"

Both kits spun around. Facing them was Redsplash, Bramblekit's mother. Her green eyes were narrowed in fury, her neck fur raised. Sootkit winced, for the queen looked angrier then the time she and Bramblekit had put honey in her nest and gotten her fur all sticky. And _that _had been scary to Sootkit. Beside Redsplash stood her daughter, Rosekit. Rosekit's sleek ginger fur was groomed to perfection. It simply glowed in the bright sunlight. Rosekit's green eyes matched her mother, though instead of being narrowed with fury they were wide with slight fear.

"Your ceremony is only in a couple of minutes!" Redsplash hissed, grabbing Bramblekit by the scruff and dragging him a little ways away. Sootkit watched, slightly amused, as the ginger and white queen covered Bramblekit with licks. Bramblekit's face got scrunched up, and he glared up at his mother.

"Oh your fur, it's all dusty. StarClan, what am I going to do with you?" Redsplash sighed, mewing between licks. Rosekit had taken the opportunity to step over to Sootkit. She got close to her, whispering so only she could hear.

"If I were you, Sootkit," she whispered. "I'd run while you had the chance." Sootkit didn't need to be told twice. She darted off, back toward the Nursery. Upon reaching the entrance she bumped right into her brother, Nightkit. Both kits were sent sprawling across the ground. Sootkit was the first to get to her paws. She glared at Nightkit, stepping around the black kit to get into the Nursery. Neither mewed a word to each other, for Sootkit was intent on escaping from the wrath of Redsplash.

Inside the Nursery, Dawnkit and Duskkit were playing together. The two of them were only one-moon-old and were already little bundles of energy. Skycloud really had her work cut out for her. Sootkit smiled at the two younger kits, eyes moving around the Nursery again. Skycloud, Brightwing and Wavesplash both sat in a circle, chatting casually. Sootkit became aware of Brightwing's swollen belly, reminding her that she'd have a few new friends in the Nursery soon.

Featherkit sat alone in the corner of the den. Her eyes remained at her paws, not looking up as Sootkit arrived beside her. Sootkit frowned, studying her sister for a moment. Her little sister was the beauty of the litter, and was almost prettier then Rosekit. She shared her mother's silky white fur, not a flaw in any strand. For some reason Featherkit always liked to keep well-groomed. Two bright emerald green eyes stood out against the white fur, reminding Sootkit of the few specks of grass visible as the snow began to melt.

Sootkit cleared her throat, getting Featherkit's attention immediately. The white kit's head shot up, emerald eyes wide for a moment. With closer inspection, Sootkit realized how tired her sister looked. She appeared to have been up all night. Again the gray and white kit frowned, nudging her sister playfully. "Hey there, Featherkit," she purred. "How are you?"

"Fine." Featherkit's reply was curt, but her voice angelic. Everyone always said that she had such a sweet, meoldic voice. It was soft, hypnotizing even. Sootkit knew that everyone adored Featherkit. To most of the queens she was a breath of fresh-air, compared to their loud and wild kits.

"Everything okay?" Sootkit continued to prod, not liking her sister's tired appearance. "You look tired."

Featherkit only nodded, eyes becoming distant. She glanced outside the Nursery before her eyes moved to Sootkit. "The ceremony is starting now."

Confused, Sootkit looked outside as well. Her eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could say anything, however, Heronstar's call cut her off. The meeting had started after all. Sootkit shot her sister one more confused glance before exiting the Nursery. Her mother had given her earlier permission to attend the ceremony, after all her best friend was becoming an apprentice.

Cats had already gathered around Highledge, gazing up at their blue-gray leader. Heronstar leaped nimbly onto the ledge, fur glistening in the sunlight. She gazed down at her Clan warmly. Sootkit stared up at her in awe, amazed by her leader's grace. Her eyes moved to Bramblekit and Rosekit, who both sat below Highledge. Bramblekit looked better, but not nearly as good as he had before. For a moment Sootkit felt guilty for dirtying her friend's coat, but then pushed it away.

"It is time for one of my favorite duties as Clan leader," Heronstar mewed, her strong voice echoing in every cats' ears. Sootkit moved to sit beside her mother, who was sitting beside Skycloud. Brightwing remained in the Nursery, watching all the other kits.

"It is my pleasure to name these two kits apprentices. Rosekit, please step forward." Rosekit took a timid step forward, gazing up at her leader with wide eyes. Sootkit had to strain her neck to see the ceremony, though she still managed to see her friends.

"Rosekit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Rosepaw. Maplebranch, it is time you received another apprentice. You trained Volefur well, and I hope you pass down all those skills to Rosepaw."

Rosepaw gingerly touched noses with her new mentor. Sootkit smiled, seeing her friend duck her head in slight embarrassment. Now it was Bramblekit's turn.

"Bramblekit, from this moment on you shall be known as Bramblepaw. Lionclaw, you are ready for your first apprentice. Dustcloud trained you well, and I hope you pass down all you learned to Bramblepaw." As soon as Heronstar's words were finished, Bramblepaw and Lionclaw touched noses. Even from a distance, Sootkit could see the new light in Bramblepaw's eyes. He looked so happy to finally become an apprentice.

After the chanting of the new apprentices died down, Sootkit started toward Bramblepaw. Before she could reach him, however, Grasspaw cut her off. The tabby tom cuffed Bramblepaw over the ear, grinning like he had just caught all the prey in the forest. "Bramblepaw! You've finally joined us in the Apprentice den."

Bramblepaw grinned back, puffing out his chest proudly. Sootkit glared daggers at Grasspaw's head. She'd wanted to say goodbye to Bramblepaw privately, but that bighead had to ruin it. Muttering under her breath, the young gray and white kit padded away. Bramblepaw had his old best friend back. He didn't need Sootkit, his replacement best friend anymore.

Sootkit stopped suddenly, hearing pawsteps behind her. She turned around, seeing Bramblepaw padding swiftly toward her. Grasspaw had left, and was now leading Rosepaw into the apprentice den to show her around. Bramblepaw smiled at Sootkit, stepping beside her. Sootkit gazed up at him, suddenly feeling very small. It was as if Bramblepaw had gotten bigger, just by becoming an apprentice.

"Hey." Bramblepaw's mew jolted her out of her thoughts. Sootkit shrugged her shoulders, muttering a quick hello. This wasn't like her at all. She hated it. Suddenly she felt like Featherkit, unsure of what to say. Her best friend was leaving her, and he was happy about it. He didn't need her anymore. Pretty soon he'd just remember her as the little kit he'd spent time with in the Nursery.

"You haven't congratulated me yet." Though Bramblepaw was smiling, Sootkit could see the glimmer of hurt in his icy blue eyes. She sighed.

"Oh yeah," Sootkit mewed. "Well, congratulations. You're an apprentice and you've got your precious Grasspaw back again. Enjoy living your life, forgetting about the Nursery days." She hadn't meant for her words to come out so harsh, but they had. Furious with herself and with Bramblepaw Sootkit whirled around, stalking back to the Nursery. Bramblepaw was still following her; she could hear his frantic pawsteps.

"Hey now, Sootkit," Bramblepaw meowed, stepping in front of her to block her path. "Who said I'd forget about you? I couldn't forget you, couldn't forget all the fun we've had together. Remember that time we put burrs in Mouseclaw's nest? That annoying furball had burrs in his fur all day!"

A smile appeared on Sootkit's face at the memory. She turned around, facing the cream-colored tom before her. "Well," she began, suddenly feeling very small. "I guess I'll be joining you in two moons?"

Bramblepaw grinned, lightly tapping Sootkit's shoulder with his tail. "You know it." The cream tom turned around, preparing to return to the Apprentice Den again. Sootkit watched her friend wave his tail in goodbye as he padded away. Hating herself for acting like such a... such a _kit _about this whole thing, she sulked back into the Nursery. The sun was already beginning to set. Featherkit was curled up against Wavesplash's belly, whimpering in her sleep. Wavesplash said that Featherkit had done that often when she was younger, too.

Though Nightkit was nowhere to be seen, Sootkit knew where he was. Most likely her brother was congratulating Rosepaw and Bramblepaw, and maybe even chatting with a few warriors. Nightkit was always like that. He preferred talking with cats older then him then cats his age. It was strange. Sootkit never took offence from it though. She'd always have Featherkit on her side, no matter what the problem was.

Not really feeling tired, but having nothing to do, Sootkit directed her attention to the outside of the Nursery. Her eyes landed on Bramblepaw immediately. He was chatting with Rosepaw and Grasspaw, just outside the apprentice den. While Grasspaw was making enthusiastic motions with his tail, no doubt describing how great being an apprentice was, Bramblepaw only seemed to be half listening. Sootkit's ice blue eyes remained planted on the three cats. As if she had willed him to, Bramblepaw turned his head around and locked his blue eyes with hers.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before Bramblepaw finally smiled at her. Sootkit returned the smile. A horrible feeling twisted her stomach, making her want to collapse all of a sudden. She couldn't shake the feeling, no matter how hard she tried. It remained, tearing through her insides like guilt would. Sootkit knew the feeling, she'd known it since she was little.

Something was going to go wrong.

**Thanks for the reviews! I love getting reviews, they inspire me to write faster. Well, this chapter was kind of boring and didn't really show much of Sootkit's character. Though it did show her sensitive, clingy side to Bramblepaw, it didn't really show her fun, hyper side that makes her, her. Oh well. Next chapter will be in Featherkit's POV. **


End file.
